17 Stunning Tree Houses You Can Actually Stay In

We don’t know about you, but we love trees! Granted, human history with them has been largely one-sided, however, we are lucky that these large woody perennial plants don’t hold a grudge as they keep providing us with dozens of benefits. Aside from looking great, trees play an integral part in the battle to fight climate change. Not only that, but they also clean the air of pollutants, all the while providing us with clean oxygen. Trees help to keep our cities cool, conserve energy, save water, prevent soil erosion, provide us with wood, food, and are home to countless species of animals. And just when it seems that trees couldn’t do enough for us, now we can add humans to that list of species that call the humble tree home.

The idea of a tree house is nothing new, however, unless you are Robinson Crusoe or a member of a lost Amazonian tribe, then you’d have to agree that tree houses have always been the domain of children. When most people think of tree houses they think of relatively crude structures of unfinished wood, perched high above the ground, only accessible by rope later. While this image may have held true when we were children growing up, it is certainly far from the reality of tree houses today, for now even the most distinguished and discerning of people can spend the night among the branches without sacrificing any of the creatures comforts or urban trappings that they have grown accustomed to.

Don’t believe us? Take a look at some of the most elaborate tree houses in the world, or take it one step further, because all of the entries on this list offer the opportunity to spend a night under the stars and to feel like a kid again.

1. Snow Bear Chalets - Whitefish, Montana

When many of us think of tree houses, we normally associate them with warm weather. After all, the idea of being among the trees when nature is in full bloom is half of the appeal, right? Well, what if you are a fan of the colder months, the winter sports, however, still find yourself with a penchant for sleeping high in the air? Don’t worry, we have an option for you.

Promoted as the world’s first ski-in/ski-out tree house chalets, we have Snow Bear Chalets, located at the Whitefish Mountain Resort in northwestern Montana. Each chalet sits 25 feet above the forest floor, with some of the best accommodations we have ever seen in a tree house. Stunning interior design, full modern kitchen, flat screen TV, WiFi, fireplace, quartz countertops, private decks, and even a private turret with fiber-optic stars in the form of constellations on the ceiling. And perhaps best of all if you are an avid skier, these tree house chalets will put you between 5 and 50 feet of the slope. Not the bottom of the slope, but actually on the slope. What could be better than that?